Well, I always thought that a way to do a true sequel and not screw with continuity any more than they already have is to have a band of the colonists on LV-426 leave the station before Ripley and the marines arrive.

These colonists would be seperating from the other victims seen in ALIENS as the station was overrun and it was their only option for survival. They could be responding to a signal detected even fainter than the one from the derelict in hopes of using it to communicate with earth. Once they travel to the source, they discover that LV-426 is actually the alien homeworld and the derelict ship was trying to transport eggs off the planet. The true hive would be found, battles would ensue with limited firepower requiring the use of weapons that they could fashion, new heroes would be discovered, etc.

When the situation looks even more dire than what they had experienced at the station, they would have to retreat back to the processing station to hope and pray for rescue from the Company and survive against the aliens at the station. They get close enough to the station just in time to see it explode and the dropship with Ripley, Newt, Bishop and Hicks escaping into the atmosphere.

Nihilistic, bleak, no idea if they would be rescued, just end it like 'The Thing'.

But I would miss Ripley!

To each their own, but this is an opinion that definitely seems to be in the minority.

Aliens is a vastly differently film, but I think it's just as good and in some ways maybe even better than Alien. I can see liking 1 better than 2, but I honestly don't know anybody that likes 3 more than 2.

Hmmm... you know what? I don't think this premise for a sequel is bad at all.

Alien 3 started off ridiculous and just got progressively worse. How the freak was there an alien egg on board the ship in the first place? The Queen's egg sac was severed. (Not to mention she apparently layed an egg while hanging on to the transporter carrying her through outer space!) And it seems that what hatched was some sort of a one-in-a-million face hugger that could impregnate not once, but twice, before dying. And one drop of it's acid apparently could destroy the entire ship!

Man, you really have to suspend disbelief right away (and avoid the obvious contrivance of it all) to think the movie starts out for any real reason other than to separate your wallet from its money. It's not like part 3 completes some open-ended plots that James Cameron left hanging.

Actually, I always thought it would be a neat twist if it turned out Bishop wasn't as good as we were led to believe. If, in fact, he was collecting a few eggs while he was left unintended for a good portion of the movie, that would actually go a long way in explaining some of the problems I have right at the very beginning of part 3.

Now I just wish there was a way to explain away part 3 (other than a dream, because I always hate that cop-out gimmick), so the series could get back on track the way everyone always wanted it to progress - an attack on Earth, and then a trip to the alien homeworld. Fortunately, part 4 doesn't need to be erased from existence (even though it should) since it takes place hundreds of years from the original timeline, which means (just like with AVP) whatever happened in the movie is irrelevant to the actual story arc.

What I wish they would do is issue an apology for 3&4 and ask the public to forget them. Then come up with a decent follow up to Aliens. I say this, only partly tongue in cheek. I don't think you need to change Aliens to make a good sequel to it.

I was just listening to Cameron's commentary a week or so ago, I don't recall hearing one film-maker being so critical of another. He said in effect, I know you gotta make the movie your own, but I believe you owe something to the fans of Aliens, killing off 3 of the survivors was not something he agreed with.

I love both Alien and Aliens. Sure they are very different movies, but I thought Aliens was a terrific continuation of the Alien saga. I'm still moved when Newt says to Riply "I knew you'd come."

And then I think of how she only has about half an hour left to live.

I never wanted to see the movies go back to the Alien homeworld. I like the mystery.
I know I'm in the minority, but I love Alien Ressurection. I've watched it countless times, and I just love how it feels so unique and it's so much fun. It's great to look at, too!

I know what you mean, so I've taken matters in my own hands: I refuse to watch or acknowledge the changes to the Alien saga caused by A3.

I've done one better, I've ignored Alien 3 and Resurrection.

While I enjoy Alien 3 on it's own, it is a major let down to kill off Hicks and Newt. Obviously the point was to return Ripley and the series to the feel of the first film, and we can argue whether that's a good idea or not.

Anyway, how much of that decision was Finchers, how much of that was the studios meddling and how much of that was going into production without a director, script or any idea what the hell was going on we'll probably never know.

Unless you listen to the bonus disc from Alien 3 which states much of this...

I think they are trying to make all the new alien movies worse and worse so that people like previously ones more and more.

When ailen 3 came out everyone hated it liked the first 2

then when 4 came out 3 wasn't so bad anymore, actually pretty good, and it continues

I never thought I would think back on the original avp and think, yeah that was decent, but after avp2, exactly what happend

As much as I hate "Alien 3" I have never blamed Fincher. I always knew FOX was the hand that made the movie into the pile of garbage it is., Fincher was trying to make the best out of what he was dealt.